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Her Hero

~ Prologue ~

~ "The hero is commonly the simplest and obscurest of men." - Henry David Thoreau ~

Chad Dylan Cooper. He was America's heart-throb; a TV talent - not only an amazing actor, but a writer, director, producer and chef. And now 'hero' could be tacked on to the ever-growing list of accomplishments.

He was waiting at the edge of the stage. There were TV crews and news reporters flocking to the podium; flashes were going off spontaneously and the room was abuzz with chatter. They were all there for him. They all wanted to hear from him about what happened; they wanted to talk to him. And in any other situation, he would've easily and gladly taken this opportunity to s h i n e.

But not this time.

No.

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They started chanting it over and over again. "He-ro! He-ro! He-ro!" He was their hero.

Mr. Condor stood smiling with a surprisingly wide grin on his face, beckoning to him. Chad paused for a moment, staring back. He froze. He couldn't go on stage; he couldn't face them and let them call him a hero. He wasn't a hero. He was just a person.

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Stop it!

He wanted to scream.

Taking a step back, he turned around completely and escaped through a back door, running. He had to get out of there. He didn't want this. "Hero". What was that? He sure as hell wasn't one. God. Oh God.

He felt a buzz coming from his pocket and sighed when he flipped it open.

"Where are you! Mr. Condor's furious!" Her voice was rushed and in hushed whispers; he could almost visualize her clinging onto her phone as she spoke to him, her face hidden so nobody else would know what she was doing.

His voice cracked as he ran his fingers through his blond, perfect hair, tears pricking his eyes as he shook his head, "Portlyn, I-I can't do this."

"What happened? I've never seen you like this." He bit down on his lip, trying to think of the best answer to come up with. What did happen? Why was he being like this? Not even he knew.

He had paused for too long, the worry in her voice now becoming more evident. "Chad?"

"I-I couldn't do it. I couldn't go out there, stand on stage, and let them call me a hero," He stuttered.

He heard her sigh, almost frustrated that Chad Dylan Cooper wasn't out there right now getting his few minutes of fame that everyone believed he deserved. "But you are a hero." She spoke slowly, trying to get it through his head; trying to make him understandsomething that seemed so simple to everyone else.

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"What you did saved so many lives. You saved lives, Chad!" Her voice was adamant, determined to get him to get on that stage and pretend. They wanted him to get up there, grin like he never had before and just act. But this time he couldn't; not even Chad Dylan Cooper could pretend this much - there was a limit to his acting skills, even he would admit that.

It took him just a moment to respond, inhaling a tired breath before shaking his head and frowning into the phone, "I'm not a hero. I wasn't trying to save those lives. I was only trying to save one."